The sea is not just a salty abyss, it is a living arena where empires are born and die, where ships are not just steel but symbols of power. From Phoenician triremes to British dreadnoughts, whoever ruled the waves ruled the world. And now China is on the scene: a dragon that has shed its husk of continental hibernation and spread its wings over the oceans, challenging the American eagle, which has long considered the sea its nest. What will happen if these two giants clash in a deadly battle for the crowns of the sea? Let’s dive into this story – with the whirlwinds of news in 2025, flavoured with fire and pepper!
China: the dragon swallowing the sea
Forget about China hiding behind the Great Wall. Today it is a sea beast that roars at the world. The One Belt, One Road initiative is not a boring economic plan, but a cunning web that has wrapped itself around the globe: Chinese ports in Pakistan shine with steel cranes, artificial islands in the South China Sea spit missiles, and icebreakers are already cutting Arctic ice like a cake at a party. Beijing is not just trading – it is drawing a new map of the world, with every sea route leading to it.
And the fleet? Oh, this is a real fairy tale for lovers of sea monsters! Two aircraft carriers – Liaoning and Shandong – are already swaying on the waves, and the third, with a nuclear heart, is waiting in the wings. Destroyers of the “055” type – floating fortresses with lasers and missiles – are breeding faster than rabbits, and submarines are sneaking into the depths like sharks before an attack. According to X on 4 March 2025, China conducted exercises off Taiwan, where 30 ships and 40 aircraft showed that Beijing was ready to bite. The South China Sea is its personal swimming pool, and the Strait of Malacca is the throat it wants to keep a dead grip on, as 80% of its oil goes through it.
The latest news comes as a bolt from the blue. China Daily wrote on 4 March: China has ‘graciously’ allowed the Philippines to deliver food to the Ren’ai Reef, but it’s just a show of strength – Beijing is reminding us who’s king. And the posts on X from 5 March are buzzing: new J-35 stealth fighters have been spotted over the sea, a response to the US F-35s buzzing over the Taiwan Strait.
USA: the eagle sharpening its talons
Now imagine this: The United States throws its aircraft carriers into battle – the Gerald Ford with its electromagnetic catapults, Virginia-class submarines and drones taking off from Australian bases. A war for the sea is not just a “maybe”, it is a scenario that the Pentagon is drawing with red markers. And fresh headlines add to the drama: On 5 March 2025, Reuters shouts that Trump has hit China with new 10% tariffs, doubling the old rates, and China has responded by barking, “We are not afraid of war – economic or otherwise!” (NDTV, 5 March). The Chinese embassy in Washington turned up the heat: “America wants to fight? We are ready for the last drop!”
What will happen if it explodes? First, the sea will boil with chaos. The Strait of Malacca will become a cemetery of tankers, the Suez Canal will shut up like an old pipe, and the Panama Canal will drown in smoke. Your iPhone will be stuck somewhere in Shanghai, petrol at the pumps will cost like whiskey, and the stock market will be gone! ABC News is already reporting on 5 March: stocks are falling, oil is jumping, and the world is shaking.
Second, the South China Sea will erupt like a volcano. Chinese fortress islands with guns and radars will fight the American fleets, and Japan and Australia will rush into battle like faithful dogs. One shell and Taiwan will be the trigger. On 1 March, the China Daily boasted that patrols near Huangyan Island had scared everyone, and the US responded by sending the USS John McCain destroyer there.
Third, the Arctic will catch fire like a torch. China is already dreaming of the Northern Sea Route, an ice road that bypasses American traps. But Russia, Canada, and the United States will not let the dragon run wild – and the ice will crack from missiles. Al Jazeera wrote on 5 March: Trump is shifting resources from Ukraine to China, and the Arctic is in his sights.
Final: ashes or crown?
China is about numbers and fury, while the US is about technology and experience. Beijing plays at home, Washington plays around the world. The war will be long, dirty and bloody. The economy will collapse, and the sea will turn red – and not from romantic sunsets. China’s latest threats to “fight to the end” (X, 5 March) and Trump’s tariff strike are the first shots in a battle that could escalate into an apocalypse.
Whoever owns the sea owns the world. China has made the challenge, and the US has accepted it. So far, it’s a knife-edge dance, but if the music stops, hold on to the helm, because the storm is on the horizon!
Author: Marianna Nyzhnia
6 March 2025
